A Day Reserved For Magic
by Zarius
Summary: Penfold gets a kick, Squawk's beak takes a pecking, and both afford a moment in time at Christmas...


**DANGERMOUSE:**

 **A DAY RESERVED FOR MAGIC**

 **WRITTEN BY ZARIUS**

 **Disclaimer: Dangermouse (2015) and all trademarked characters are property of Fremantle Media and CBBC**

* * *

Christmas Day. London.

In the wake of a dicey dance with the cold colossus The Snowman, Penfold and Dangermouse have settled down in their may fare mailbox to share with one another the gift of giving. DM had been a generous spirit all day, being mindful of both the poor and the privileged.

He'd even given Tiny Tim an armed defence crutch. Armed with high explosives to fend off any foreboding foe that attempts to take advantage of a spy when injured.

He just forgot to tell Tim how to disarm the explosives.

Then again, the gift was'nt intended for Tim, but for Penfold.

Penfold, who was all a glow at the realization he had not gotten anything that could bring his enjoyment of Christmas down with a bang and then a bit of whimpering from him as he suffered the aftershock of dealing with a dangerous gift.

As he tried his warm, woollen cotton socks on, Penfold noticed poor Father Christmas struggling with the list of demands given to him by Professor Squawkencluck.

"Say, Santa, don't be glum, I'll take that list off your hands and help pay it off if you want" Penfold suggested.

"Ho ho ho, you are a helpful little Elf" said Santa, "If you can pull this off, you may be in line for chief aid"

Penfold clapped his hands wildly at that, only to be kicked in the shin by Santa's cheif aid.

"Hey, cut that out, the crisis is over" said Penfold.

"You're not nicking my job in a hurry you merrily mole" replied the irritated elf.

"Hamster" said Penfold, "I'm a hamster"

"Mess with me, and you'll find I'm no spring chick" she said, nipping at Penfold's toes with her beak.

Penfold scrambled behind Professor Squawkencluck out of concern for her safety.

"What are you doing behind me you big Jessie?" said Squawkencluck as the elf converged on Penfold

"'Sick 'em, attack, defend" commanded Penfold.

"What do you think I am? A henpecker?" she said

"Well you've got the beak for it" said Penfold

"Oh you know me so well" sarcastically replied Squawkencluck.

"Look are you going to rise to my defence or not?" asked Penfold.

"Well, it is Christmas after all" she said, and began circling the elf, pecking holes in the floor. Swiftly and suddenly, the floor gave way, the elf remained suspended in the air for a fraction of a second for the type of comical effect found abundant in animation, before being pulled down by the laws of gravity.

The Professor dusted off both her hands and gently rubbed her beak.

"Whew, chipping away at the that floor can leave a beak feeling pretty bleak" said Squawkencluck.

Santa handed Penfold her list and then dived down the gaping hole in the floor to collect his elf before she hit the floor.

"Penfold, you're going to take care of my list?" The Professor observed

"I'm not so secret a Santa am I?" replied Penfold.

"I don't know...you make yourself to be a lot of things..." the Professor continued

"Really?" asked Penfold

"Sure...a spectacle of yourself, a target of yourself..." she began, until she noticed Penfold's head, his expression highlighting a look of sure sadness about it.

"Hey, hey don't be glum, despite making yourself look all those things, you always have the strength to face up to them as well, you're honest about yourself, even to a frank degree, I'm like that too, though I come across as more cross than you are about those things. I envy how you can bottle that in at the best of times" the Professor continued, her compliments raising a tender smile out of the little agent.

"You're a real champ Professor"

"Just tell me one thing though...why do you always get me a hair-dryer?" Squawkencluck asked

"Well, I...oh it's nothing...it's just..." Penfold began, but nerves began to overtake him.

"It's got something to do with my appearance. A girl can afford to be flattered you know" the Professor said, urging him on

"It's...well, yeah it's kind of that. I always like to picture you with your hair down and you using something we've given you to make you look better and brighter every morning, no matter what mood you're in, which is normally all feisty and ferocious, it's nice to know that while you're projecting fear into us, you spend those first few hours every morning bringing out the best in yourself...gives us something to think about"

Sqawkencluck gave Penfold a nod and a reassuring smile, placing one hand over his forehead and stroking cit, losing her eyes briefly as she took all those words in.

"Pr-Professor? You ok?" said Penfold as her hands slowly ruffled through him.

"You know...forget that list Penfold, you can get me the same thing every year" she said.

"Cor, thanks Professor, say, why did you reckon Santa wasn't real?" asked Penfold.

"I didn't want to think there was magic in the world...I'm a scientist, I always have to rationalize everything, to let logic take hold over ludicrous realization of fantasy...guess it's a silly thing to think, especially around a day reserved for magic"

"I'm glad you've realized that" Penfold, clutching her hand, "You shouldn't deprive yourself of the magic, in order for that to come, you have to make time for those moments"

The two stood where they were, transfixed in a precious moment of time, staring lovingly into one another's gaze, each hoping one would make the move on the other without having to wait for the descent of mistletoe.

The alarms suddenly went off, DM sprang forward to answer the call as Col. K and his brightly lit Christmas jumper disrupted the moment.

"Penfold, Dangermouse, you must scramble immediately, those rouges Greenback, Loocifer, Duckula and the rest are threatening to tarnish the next 24 hours by staging a real boxing match between all of them on Boxing Day, get that group separated ASAP" the Colonel commanded.

"On our way Col.K, come along Penfold, and don't stop for Christmas punch, we have to halt the literal kind from coming to pass" ordered Dangermouse.

"Heh, don't want to get punch drunk then" Penfold said nervously to Squwakencluck.

"Another time?" said Squawkencluck

"Another moment in time...I'll be ready" said Penfold.

"...Ready...to believe" replied Squawkencluck.

Disengaging from their grip on one another's hands, Penfold and Dangermouse dashed into certain danger.

"Be safe" said Squawkencluck, waving to them as they darted into the Mark IV hovering outside and speeding off into the snowy skyline.


End file.
